The new ‘Men in Black’ movie: Everything we know so far

With Men in Black scheduled to hit theaters in 2019, here’s everything we know about the movie so far.

• Title: Men in Black (preliminary title)
• Release date: June 14, 2019
• Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Liam Neeson
• Director: F. Gary Gray

The cast

Marvel Studios franchise star, Chris Hemsworth (below), will reunite with Thor: Ragnarok actress Tessa Thompson in the film’s lead roles, with Taken star Liam Neeson also attached to play a key role in the film.

Just before filming was expected to begin on the movie, several additions to the cast were reported. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom actor Rafe Spall, Oscar-nominated The Big Sick actor Kumail Nanjiani, and street dancing duo Laurent Nicolas Bourgeois and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois (aka Les Twins), were all added to the cast.

The story

Official plot details are scarce, but the Men in Black spinoff is expected to feature a new cast of characters within the same universe as the first three Men in Black films, but expanding the story’s focus globally. The initial film will reportedly be centered on London, but feature action unfolding elsewhere around the world. Neeson is rumored to be playing the head of the U.K. branch of the alien-investigating agency, similar to the role Rip Torn played as part of the American agency featured in the earlier films.

The script for the Men in Black spinoff is penned by Iron Man writers Matt Holloway and Art Marcum.

The director

Each installment of the original trilogy of Men in Black movies was helmed by Barry Sonnenfeld, but the new film will have a new face behind the camera, too. The spinoff is set to be directed by Friday and Fate of the Furious director F. Gary Gray, who joined the project in February 2018.

The legacy

Original franchise stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones aren’t expected to appear in the film, but original franchise producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald will oversee the project along with executive producer Steven Spielberg, who served a similar role on all three of the prior films.

Despite mixed reviews for 2012’s Men in Black 3, the Men in Black series is undoubtedly a lucrative proposition, as the first film (released in 1997) grossed nearly $600 million, while the first sequel (2002) reached nearly $500 million.

Updated on July 2: Added casting news for Rafe Spall, Kumail Nanjiani, and Les Twins.